Generally speaking, it takes a political junkie to get excited about a vice-presidential debate. Sure, showdowns between candidates can be interesting, and occasionally they become truly significant after the fact if some …

President Obama’s Boeing 747 isn’t just transport. It’s a mobile command center outfitted to handle everything from a nuclear war to a re-election campaign. TIME’s photo editors bring you the best pictures of Air Force One.

I have always been skeptical of the conventional Beltway wisdom that Florida Senator Marco Rubio will be the politico who finally builds bridges between Latinos and Republicans. It’s not that Rubio isn’t a capable envoy; his …

Surprising data point of the day via Mother Jones: The cost of presidential campaigns did not grow dramatically in the latter half of the 20th century (after the advent of television ad spending, I’m speculating). In fact, in 2011 dollars, 1968’s Nixon-Humprey-Wallace contest cost significantly more than the campaigns of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s:

Despite earlier predictions that health care might not be the central component in this year’s congressional campaigns, candidates and outside groups are investing millions in TV ads touting and vilifying the new law. Two new ad campaigns each reportedly costing $2 million launched today.

Sure, he’s a loooooooong way from, um, winning — or even being in a position to win. But he’s had a good month and his poll numbers are finally going slightly north. On the other hand, they could’ve hardly gotten worse. A webstory today from me.

In the category of more unsolicited advice they didn’t ask for, are tired of getting, and will certainly ignore, I’ll holler one more pitch from my armchair to the McCain campaign (I’m a political consultant, I can’t help it).

There is no state by state way to break out of the campaign’s current spiral. Trips to Iowa will not do it. …

Lots of process talk on the political tom-toms right now about McCain pulling out of Michigan and re-deploying resources to other states. This moving forces around the map like Gen. Rommel in the desert stuff may be catnip to the media and a huge pre-occupation of the campaign staffs, but it can obscure the big picture. McCain is in …